Why do I bring this up? Well, Spurr must have felt festive as the volcano had a “minor increase in seismicity” that coincided with a small glacial outburst flood on Monday (June 25). The increase in earthquake activity was brief – by the morning of the 26th, the seismicity was over. Now, this doesn’t mean the volcano is ramping up for anything. Spurr is snow/ice-covered, so slow melting under the ice could pool water until it is dramatically released with an ice or sediment dam holding it back releases. The Alaska Volcano Observatory mentions that Spurr had a similar event in June 1993 as well.

However, it is a good way to remind us that Alaskan volcanoes are always a threat to produce significant eruptions. Be sure to check out AVO’s Spurr page to see the webcam and webicorders for the volcano.